Entrepreneurship

Paris, 13 April 2021. – Looking for another hero: Space Hero, “the World‘s first ever global casting show” for a trip to the International Space Station (ISS), signed an agreement with NASA for a feasibility study of a such a mission, Space Hero said. The agreement was signed at a significant date in human history, Space Hero said, as April 12, 2021 marks the 60th anniversary of the first human in space, Yuri Gagarin.

Two satellites from the OneWeb and Starlink constellations came dangerously close – as close as 60 meters – last week but could avoid a collision, The Verge reported. The Verge quoted representatives from the US Space Force and OneWeb who said that two satellites from the fast-growing constellations of OneWeb and SpaceX’s Starlink dodged a dangerously close approach with one another in orbit last weekend.

Not yet: NASA rescheduled Mars helicopter Ingenuity’s maiden flight to “no earlier than April 14”, the agency said. Based on data from the Ingenuity Mars helicopter that arrived late Friday night from a high-speed spin test of the rotors, NASA has chosen to reschedule the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter’s first experimental flight, NASA said.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) named its first female astronaut, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said. “Today we announce two new Emirati astronauts, among them the first female Arab astronaut. We congratulate them and count on them to raise the name of the UAE ever higher in space.”

Going private: The IoT specialist Orbcomm agreed to be acquired by the U.S. investment firm GI Partners, valuing the company at $1.1 billion, Orbcomm said. The Nasdaq-listed firm, a global provider of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, said it entered into a "definitive agreement" to be acquired, in an all-cash transaction, by GI Partners, a private investment firm based in San Francisco.

OroraTech, a Munich-based provider of satellite wildfire monitoring, and Spire, provider of space-based data, analytics and space services, want to partner to launch OroraTech’s first payload on a Spire 6U nanosatellite, Spire announced. The satellite planned for launch in December 2021 will carry OroraTech’s thermal-infrared camera and data processing unit designed to detect fires and transmit the data using Spire’s satellite and ground network, Spire said

Rocket Lab wants its second Electron booster back

ESA wants to boost business and bolster its European role

OQ selects NanoAvionics for MACSAT mission

Ex-NASA's Bridenstine joins Voyager and Viasat boards